In a refrigeration system that utilizes a compressible evaporative refrigerant to transfer heat, the refrigerant must oftentimes be removed prior to a servicing of the system, and subsequently recharged after any necessary repairs have been completed.
In the past, refrigerants were typically vented directly into the atmosphere during the servicing of a refrigeration system. Recently, due primarily to the refrigerant actuated depletion of the ozone layer, a plethora of governmental regulations have been established to prevent the deleterious atmospheric release of refrigerants, especially those refrigerants containing chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs). In compliance with such regulations, many complex refrigerant reclamation and recharging systems have been developed to temporarily remove the refrigerant from a refrigeration system under service. Unfortunately, to avoid the expensive and time consuming process of refrigerant reclamation, unscrupulous refrigeration technicians may discharge the refrigerant from a refrigeration system directly into the atmosphere, illegally circumventing the required reclamation process.